Assyrian Jews: Difference between revisions

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==History==

==History==

[[File:Kurdish-jews-1930s.jpg | thumb | right | Assyrian Jew in Iraq (1930).]] Assyrian Jews are Aramaic-speaking [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi Jewish]] communities that lived in the geographic region of [[Mesopotamia]], the [[Zagros Mountains]], roughly covering parts of northwestern [[Iran]], northern [[Iraq]], northeastern [[Syria]] and southeastern [[Turkey]]. Assyrian Jews lived as closed ethnic communities until they were [[Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries|expelled from Arab and Muslim states]] from the 1940s–1950s onward. The community largely speaks [[Judeo-Aramaic languages|Judeo-Aramaic]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Frye|first1=Richard N.|title=Review of G. R. Driver’s “Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century B. C.”|journal=Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies|volume=18|issue=3/4|year=1955|pages=456–461|doi=10.2307/2718444|last2=Driver|first2=G. R.|jstor=2718444}} p. 457.</ref><ref name=”iranica”>{{citation|author1=F. Rosenthal |author2=J. C. Greenfield |author3=S. Shaked |title=Aramaic |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |publisher=Iranica Online |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aramaic- |date=December 15, 1986}}</ref>{{sfn|Beyer|1986|p=}} Many Assyrian Jews, especially the ones who hailed from larger cities of Iraq, went through a [[Sephardic Jewish]] blending during the 18th century.<ref>https://lawoffice.org.il/מגורשי-ספרד-בעיראק-הוצאת-דרכון-פורטוג/</ref>

[[File:Kurdish-jews-1930s.jpg | thumb | right | Assyrian Jew in Iraq (1930).]] Assyrian Jews are Aramaic-speaking [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi Jewish]] communities that lived in the geographic region of [[Mesopotamia]], the [[Zagros Mountains]], roughly covering parts of northwestern [[Iran]], northern [[Iraq]], northeastern [[Syria]] and southeastern [[Turkey]]. Assyrian Jews lived as closed ethnic communities until they were [[Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries|expelled from Arab and Muslim states]] from the 1940s–1950s onward. The community largely speaks [[Judeo-Aramaic languages|Judeo-Aramaic]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Frye|first1=Richard N.|title=Review of G. R. Driver’s “Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century B. C.”|journal=Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies|volume=18|issue=3/4|year=1955|pages=456–461|doi=10.2307/2718444|last2=Driver|first2=G. R.|jstor=2718444}} p. 457.</ref><ref name=”iranica”>{{citation|author1=F. Rosenthal |author2=J. C. Greenfield |author3=S. Shaked |title=Aramaic |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |publisher=Iranica Online |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aramaic- |date=December 15, 1986}}</ref>{{sfn|Beyer|1986|p=}} Many Assyrian Jews, especially the ones who hailed from larger cities of Iraq, went through a [[Sephardic Jewish]] blending during the 18th century.<ref>https://lawoffice.org.il/מגורשי-ספרד-בעיראק-הוצאת-דרכון-פורטוג/</ref>

Speculation regarding the origins of Assyrian Jews involves two primary explanations: the descent from the [[Ten Lost Tribes|Lost Tribes of Israel]] exiled by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] and the conversion of ethnic Assyrians to Judaism, most notably the royal house of [[Adiabene]]. There is historical evidence supporting both ideas.<ref> https://www.cuw.edu/academics/schools/arts-and-sciences/_assets/theological-journal/2020_v7i1-Winter/Article1-Thomas.pdf</ref><ref> https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel</ref>

Speculation regarding the origins of Assyrian Jews involves two primary explanations: the descent from the [[Ten Lost Tribes|Lost Tribes of Israel]] exiled by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] and the conversion of ethnic Assyrians to Judaism, most notably the royal house of [[Adiabene]]. There is historical evidence supporting both ideas.<ref> https://www.cuw.edu/academics/schools/arts-and-sciences/_assets/theological-journal/2020_v7i1-Winter/Article1-Thomas.pdf</ref><ref> https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel</ref>

==Terminology==

==Terminology==

Due to the overwhelming presence of [[Kurds]] in northern Iraq and neighboring regions, Assyrian Jews fleeing to the new state of Israel from these areas came to be labeled “Kurdish Jews” by immigration officers, a misnomer that has persisted.<ref name=”Chaldean” /><ref name=”AssyrianJews” /><ref>{{cite web |title=We were never Kurds (לישנא LISHANA) ששון נעים: מעולם לא היינו כורדים |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4eBbX9W1j8 |website=YouTube |access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref><ref name=”Mordechai”>{{cite web |title=מרדכי יונה, הזהות של יהודי ארץ אשור / Yona Mordechai, the identity of the Jews of the land of Ashur |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC9vaVlQKLs |website=YouTube |access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref> Genome-wide analyses indicate that those identified as “Kurdish Jews” cluster closely with Assyrian populations, suggesting a shared ancient genetic heritage.<ref>Behar, Doron M., et al. “The Genome-Wide Structure of the Jewish People.” Nature, vol. 466, no. 7303, 2010, pp. 238–242. doi:10.1038/nature09103.</ref><ref name=”Jerusalem”>{{cite book |last=Maoz |first=Yaacov |title=Jerusalem and Nineveh: The Renewal of Aramit-Ashurit in Israel and the Alliance between Israel and Assyria |year=2023 |publisher=Self-published |location=Israel |url=https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/1884472004/jerusalem-and-nineveh-by-dr-yaacov-maoz |access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref>

Due to the overwhelming presence of [[Kurds]] in northern Iraq and neighboring regions, Assyrian Jews fleeing to the new state of Israel from these areas came to be labeled “Kurdish Jews” by immigration officers, a misnomer that has persisted.<ref name=”Chaldean” /><ref name=”AssyrianJews” /><ref>{{cite web |title=We were never Kurds (לישנא LISHANA) ששון נעים: מעולם לא היינו כורדים |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4eBbX9W1j8 |website=YouTube |access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref><ref name=”Mordechai”>{{cite web |title=מרדכי יונה, הזהות של יהודי ארץ אשור / Yona Mordechai, the identity of the Jews of the land of Ashur |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC9vaVlQKLs |website=YouTube |access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref> Genome-wide analyses indicate that those identified as “Kurdish Jews” cluster closely with Assyrian populations, suggesting a shared ancient genetic heritage.<ref>Behar, Doron M., et al. “The Genome-Wide Structure of the Jewish People.” Nature, vol. 466, no. 7303, 2010, pp. 238–242. doi:10.1038/nature09103.</ref><ref name=”Jerusalem”>{{cite book |last=Maoz |first=Yaacov |title=Jerusalem and Nineveh: The Renewal of Aramit-Ashurit in Israel and the Alliance between Israel and Assyria |year=2023 |publisher=Self-published |location=Israel |url=https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/1884472004/jerusalem-and-nineveh-by-dr-yaacov-maoz |access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref>

Latest revision as of 12:38, 31 January 2026

Biblically attested ethnic group

Assyrian Jews (Hebrew: יהודים אַשּׁוּרִים, romanized: Yehudim Ashurim)[1][failed verification] first appeared in the territory of Assyria when the Israelites were exiled to Assyria in approximately 740 BCE.[2][full citation needed] Jews have been continuously living alongside the Assyrian people in the territories of Assyria since their exile, and constitute a minority within the predominantly Christian ethnic group.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Assyrian Jew in Iraq (1930).

Assyrian Jews are Aramaic-speaking Mizrahi Jewish communities that lived in the geographic region of Mesopotamia, the Zagros Mountains, roughly covering parts of northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey. Assyrian Jews lived as closed ethnic communities until they were expelled from Arab and Muslim states from the 1940s–1950s onward. The community largely speaks Judeo-Aramaic.[9][10] Many Assyrian Jews, especially the ones who hailed from larger cities of Iraq, went through a Sephardic Jewish blending during the 18th century.[12]

Speculation regarding the origins of Assyrian Jews involves two primary explanations: the descent from the Lost Tribes of Israel exiled by the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the conversion of ethnic Assyrians to Judaism, most notably the royal house of Adiabene. There is historical evidence supporting both ideas.[13][14]

Due to the overwhelming presence of Kurds in northern Iraq and neighboring regions, Assyrian Jews fleeing to the new state of Israel from these areas came to be labeled “Kurdish Jews” by immigration officers, a misnomer that has persisted.[5][6][15][7] Genome-wide analyses indicate that those identified as “Kurdish Jews” cluster closely with Assyrian populations, suggesting a shared ancient genetic heritage.[16][8]

Genetic and population studies indicate significant ancestral continuity between Georgian Jews and ethnic Assyrians, suggesting a common ancestral pool in the Neo-Assyrian and Babylonian regions. High-resolution analyses show that Caucasian Jews in Georgia cluster closely with Assyrians on PCA plots. This pattern likely reflects historical population movements, including Neo-Assyrian deportations and subsequent Persian-era settlements in the Caucasian Mountains, which helped preserve their distinct genetic heritage.[17][18][19]

Assyrian Jews in Israel have founded The Committee for the Revival of Aramit-Ashurit Language, which sees itself as the modern Israeli ambassador to the Assyrian nation.[20]
In the absence of official records, it is estimated that there are around 150,000-300,000 Assyrian Jews in Israel.[21][22][5][6]

  • Pre-1948 distribution of modern Judeo-Aramaic languages and dialects
    Pre-1948 distribution of modern Judeo-Aramaic languages and dialects
  • Assyrian Jews

    Assyrian Jews

  • Christian and Jewish Assyrians at the Nova music festival site demonstrating their respect and solidarity with Israelis following the 7 October attacks
    Christian and Jewish Assyrians at the Nova music festival site demonstrating their respect and solidarity with Israelis following the 7 October attacks
  1. ^ “הארגון הארצי של יהודי כורדיסטן מבקש”.
  2. ^ The Books of Kings and Chronicles modern view by Umberto Cassuto and Elia Samuele Artom[who?] (1981)[full citation needed]
  3. ^ “Historical summary of the Assyrian (Syriac) People”. Assyrians.n.nu. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  4. ^ Rea, Cam. The Assyrian Exile: Israel’s Legacy in Captivity, p. 47 ISBN 1-60481-173-0
  5. ^ a b c “Interview with Dr. Yaacov Maoz, a Jewish Native Speaker of Aramaic”. Chaldean Cultural Center. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b c “The Assyrian Jews, Knesset Chanel יהודי ארץ אשור, ערוץ הכנסת”. YouTube. YouTube. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  7. ^ a b “מרדכי יונה, הזהות של יהודי ארץ אשור / Yona Mordechai, the identity of the Jews of the land of Ashur”. YouTube. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  8. ^ a b Maoz, Yaacov (2023). Jerusalem and Nineveh: The Renewal of Aramit-Ashurit in Israel and the Alliance between Israel and Assyria. Israel: Self-published. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  9. ^ Frye, Richard N.; Driver, G. R. (1955). “Review of G. R. Driver’s “Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century B. C.”“. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 18 (3/4): 456–461. doi:10.2307/2718444. JSTOR 2718444. p. 457.
  10. ^ F. Rosenthal; J. C. Greenfield; S. Shaked (December 15, 1986), “Aramaic”, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Iranica Online
  11. ^ https://lawoffice.org.il/מגורשי-ספרד-בעיראק-הוצאת-דרכון-פורטוג/
  12. ^ Thomas, Michael (2020). “The Conversions of Adiabene and Edessa in Syriac Christianity and Judaism: The Relations of Jews and Christians in Northern Mesopotamia in Antiquity” (PDF). Concordia Theological Journal. 7 (1). Concordia University Wisconsin. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  13. ^ “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  14. ^ “We were never Kurds (לישנא LISHANA) ששון נעים: מעולם לא היינו כורדים”. YouTube. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  15. ^ Behar, Doron M., et al. “The Genome-Wide Structure of the Jewish People.” Nature, vol. 466, no. 7303, 2010, pp. 238–242. doi:10.1038/nature09103.
  16. ^ “The genome-wide structure of the Jewish people”. Nature. 466 (7303): 238–242. 2010. doi:10.1038/nature09103.
  17. ^ “High-resolution inference of genetic relationships among Jewish populations”. European Journal of Human Genetics. 28 (6): 804–814. 2020. doi:10.1038/s41431-019-0542-y.
  18. ^ “The Y chromosome pool of Jews as part of the genetic landscape of the Middle East”. American Journal of Human Genetics. 69 (5): 1095–1112. 2001. doi:10.1086/324070.
  19. ^ “The Model of the Prophet Jonah”. Seyfo Center. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  20. ^ “Kurdish Jewish Community in Israel”. Jcjcr.org. Archived from the original on 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  21. ^ “Kurdistan”. www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2026-01-27.

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